J.A. Adande Chat

Here are the Orlando related questions and answers from J.A. Adande's chat over at ESPN.com.

St. Nick (Fayetteville, NC) [via mobile]: Am I wrong for thinking the Celtics will be more dangerous even without homecourt if they have everbody back healthy. I say that because after Garnett got hurt they gained valuable experience for people like Glen Davis, Leon Powe, House, and Marbury. The bench seemed weak after Posey left town, but now seems just as strong as last year. So that combined with a healthy Garnett I think will get them another ring. What do u think?

J.A. Adande: (3:03 PM ET ) Their thought was they could go into Cleveland and get a game if they had to, so they weren't that pressed. But if they have to go to Orlando, AND Cleveland AND L.A., don't you think that will catch up with them? In addition to the actual travel, it takes a lot of physical and mental energy t win playoff games on the road. Having to do too much of that is taxing (yeah, yeah, 95 Rockets, I know. But that gantlet wasn't as tough as what the Celts could face)

Derek (Lake Mary, FL): Hi J.A!! My vote for MVP goes to Lebron, but why is Dwight not even mention on the MVP talks? He should at least get some recognition from the media.

J.A. Adande: (3:08 PM ET ) He should. Don't forget about CP3 either. And hasn't Chauncey Billups' presence in Denver and absence in Detroit defined "value"? I think if LeBron hadn't distinguished himself so much it would be much more fun to really open up the field. But it's hard to work up a passion for a "should be in the discussion" argument. Even in Mike Bianchi's well-done piece advocating Howard he still had to concede LeBron should get it

Zlatko, Macedonia: Hey J.A. Who is the team to beat right now? I still have the Lakers cause they swept the Cavs and C's plus beat pretty much every great team away, unlike the cavs. Not to mention they are the only team that beat cleveland away. Cavs or L.A?

J.A. Adande: (3:12 PM ET ) Right now it's the Cavs, even after last night's loss

Alright, now that last one was just silly. Someone forgot that Orlando swept L.A. this year. I'm not saying they are the best team, but they should be in the conversation.

ESPN's Daily Dime... Swing and a miss

The Magic are getting all sorts of ESPN love this morning... Too bad they don't check their facts. According to ESPN, "Dwight Howard had 24 points and 21 rebounds -- his eighth 20-20 game of his young career."

Wrong.

Last night was his eighth 20-20 game of the season, not his career.

Credit the Orlando Sentinel for the photo.

Thorpedo Chat Wrap

Our favorite ESPN chatterbox David Thorpe had a chat today over at ESPN.com. Here are some Magic related highlights.

David (Italy) [via mobile]: Does SVG have a point about Ewing?

David Thorpe: (12:03 PM ET ) No.

Daniel (Broadalbin, NY): Orlando Playoffs, I feel depend on Courtney Lee. He has been incredible for a late round draft pick.

David Thorpe: (12:21 PM ET ) Yes he has, and he'll only get much, much better.

Alex (Orlando, FL): Who do you foresee be the upcoming drafts "Courtney Lee". Also, is Brandon Roy-lite shooting too high for Courtney's ceiling?

David Thorpe: (12:28 PM ET ) Actually, B Roy is who I had C Lee study last spring and summer. I think Wayne Ellington can play like Lee, Henderson too.

Zack (Akron, OH): David, I want to apologize. Last week I asked you for predictions for the Cavs-Magic game and you said "big fun." You were right.

David Thorpe: (12:34 PM ET ) See, I'm not so dumb.

And another reason why we like Thorpe.

Chris (Boston): Dave, if you enjoyed Forgetting Sarah Marshall, give I Love You Man a shot. Good story about how you don't have to lose your life once you get engaged/married. Really a story all men should see.

David Thorpe: (12:41 PM ET ) Can't wait to see it.

Hollinger Chat

After last night's playoff clinching blowout, today has been rather slow. That said, here is what John Hollinger over at ESPN has to say concerning the Magic...

Charles (SD, CA): John, Your computer rankings notwithstanding, how would you rank the top 5 teams on a personal level?

John Hollinger: (3:11 PM ET ) 1. Cleveland 2. LA 3. Boston 4. Utah 5. San Antonio. That's how I'd size up the "if everyone's healthy and rarin' to go" rankings, with Orlando penalized for Jameer Nelson's absence.

Nathan (San Antonio): Professor Hollinger- Do you predict that Boston will slip to the 3 seed and Orlando will beat them in the second round with home court advantage?

John Hollinger: (3:21 PM ET ) I think even with homecourt the Magic won't beat Boston, unless Garnett's injury is much worse than we've heard so far.

Andy (vegas): If the Pistons get in as a 5-8 seed, can you see them scaring a team in the first round? You KNOW Orlando wants nothing to do with them....

John Hollinger: (3:25 PM ET ) The Orlando match-up appears to be a good one for them, yes; Atlanta less so, as the Hawks have played Detroit very well this year. I want to see one of them down the stretch before I weigh in on their chances though.

John (Orlando): How about D12's backup, Marcin "Polish Hammer" Gortat? 13 points and 15 boards last night?!?

John Hollinger: (3:30 PM ET ) Gortat is the best big man nobody's ever heard of and may make himself some decent money this summer as a free agent.

Nate (Portland, OR): I hope you're right about Utah and New Orleans grabbing the 3 and 6 seeds respectively if only to add more fire into the Williams vs Paul debate! You see any other juicy first round match-up possibilities? Heat/Hawks comes to mind...

John Hollinger: (3:45 PM ET ) I think Hawks-Heat would be good, but Heat-Magic -- with the Stan vs. Miami undercurrent -- would be so much juicier. Also, Hawks tend to bottle up D-Wade and force the other guys to beat them, which is why they've had a lot of success vs. Miami this year.

Blind leading the blind

Tonight's Orlando/Detroit game is currently being aired on ESPN. In a nice little 30 second clip towards the end of the 1st quarter announcers Jon Barry and Kevin Calabro were classic.

Said Barry, "Tony Battie has been banged up this year. He has only played in 55 games." Let's see. First, Orlando has played 57 games so far this year. Does missing two out of 57 games count as banged up? Next, the two games that Tony missed were both DNP-CD. He has not missed a single game this year due to injury.

Just seconds before this they congratulated Hedo Turkoglu on his first child being born this morning. Only problem is... She was born yesterday.

Keep it up ESPN.

Pun Watch

While watching "NBA Fastbreak" on ESPN, I noticed the producers couldn't resist using a bad pun while showing an email from a so called "disgruntled" Magic fan. Yeah guys, he's disgruntled because the puns are starting to bore him. See what I did there?

The Morning After...

Otis Smith and the Magic were able to make a move before yesterdays trade deadline, acquiring playground legend Rafer Alston from the Houston Rockets in a three team deal. Outgoing for the Magic are a '09 first round draft pick, Brian Cook, Mike Wilks, and future politician Adonal Foyle.

Let's see what the internet has to say:

• First, Jameer Nelson had his season ending shoulder surger yesterday.
• Ken Burger over at CBS Sportsline noted that Orlando was the only team in contention that made and sort of serious move yesterday.
• David Aldridge called the move "brilliant" over at NBA.com.
• Johnny Ludden over at yahoo forgot that Rafer played for SVG in Miami.
  
• Former Magic man Brian Cook was disappointed Orlando didn't give him a chance.
• The Sentinel's Magic blog argues that Otis is starting to come into his own as an NBA GM.
• Schmitz has the lowdown on how while Jameer was getting his shoulder done by the famous Dr. James Andrews, Otis was getting the Alston deal done.
• Bianchi writes that this deal will end up better than that last Houston/Orlando trade.
• John Denton of the Florida Today said something had to be done considering the PG play as of late.
• Here is the Houston Chronicle's perspective on the deal.
  
• ESPN's Jon Barry declaired the Orlando trade a winner.
• Hollinger gave the trade grade for the Magic a 'B'.
• Chad Ford reports that Orlando turned down a deal for "a better point guard: Jamaal Tinsley."
• And finally, here is the ESPN.com story that comes along with a podcast that discusses the trade.
  

Magic grab Rafer Alston

4:15 Update:

The Orlando Sentinel is reporting that along with Brian Cook the Magic have sent Adonal Foyle and Mike Wilks in order to make the numbers work.

I will miss Adonal... Best of luck politicin' in the future.

Psst....don't be surprised if Foyle is released and signs back with us! FTW!!

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3:55 Update:

Here come the puns. ESPN main page:

Magic Answer? Rafer Alston going to the Magic might wind up being the most significant trade on an anticlimactic deadline day.

Hardy har har, ESPN.

Here's the story...

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3:37 Update:

ESPN's John Hollinger is running a chat about the trade deadline.

Dan [via inert]: If Stein's reported deal is accurate, wouldn't Orlando have been better off just acquiring Lowry themselves? Also, the post says Cook to Houston, not Memphis.

John Hollinger: (3:22 PM ET ) You are correct on Cook, and actually it would have to be that way for the #s to work. So for Memphis it's basically Lowry for a first. Interesting. I think Orlando wanted Alston more than Lowry -- especially given his history with Stan VG.

Steve (Orlando): So How much does Alston add to the Magic? He's no Jameer Nelson but he seems like a terrific upgrade from Johnson after last night's fiasco

John Hollinger: (3:28 PM ET ) Yes, at both ends. I think he guarantees Orlando reaches the second round of the playoffs, and that added playoff dough is important for a team that just had to borrow $10 million from the league.

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From ESPN:

Marc Stein: Looks like we have a fairly significant three-way deal that has been submitted to the league just before the trade deadline.

NBA front-office sources tell ESPN.com that Orlando is acquiring Rafer Alston from Houston to fill the void created at point guard by Jameer Nelson's shoulder injury.

The Rockets will receive Memphis guard Kyle Lowry, Orlando forward Brian Cook and perhaps two other minimum-salaried players to make the finances work.

The Grizzlies will receive a first-round pick from Orlando.

The Internet talks about Dwight's career night

The Internet is abuzz this morning after Dwight's monstrous career night against Larry Brown and the Bobcats. The numbers:

45 points
16 of 23 from the field
19 rebounds
8 blocks
13 of 18 from the line
1 pair of shoulders

Here is the ESPN recap and accompanying video. It is also important to note the point guard comparison. Charlotte's Felton and Augustin combined for 33 points, 8 assists, and 1 turnover. Meanwhile, Orlando's Johnson and Lue combined for just 10 points and 6 assists.

ESPN's Daily Dime has a few Howard references and an a post game interview. Also, NBA.com has plenty of coverage.

The Orlando Sentinel took a break from the Caylee Anthony drama to do some sports reporting. Mike Bianchi demands Dwight be talked about during MVP discussions. Brian Schmitz has the game story, including the quote by SVG:

"Dwight's will, his desire, his intensity ... that's what kept lifting guys up. Even though we had a lot of guys having frustrating nights ... what continues to give you the confidence is him in the middle. That's leadership right there. It's not a speech in the locker room or taking somebody to dinner. It's that kind of play on the floor."

Next, the always hungry Jerry Greene wrote about Magic shooting guard Mickael Pietrus home island of Guadeloupe and how to win a vacation there at orlandomagic.com.

Kyle Hightower notes that Orlando committed 13 turnovers in the first half, but only 3 in the second half and overtime. Also, the Orlando Sentinel caught up with Hedo's agent about his man's contract situation.

Next, former Magic man Tracy McGrady is going to have season ending surgery. Ohh have the mighty fallen.

And finally, it is time to give some love to Jermaine Taylor and the University of Central Florida basketball team. This last Saturday Mr. Taylor, who will be selected this upcoming NBA draft, became the all-time UCF points leader at the Division 1 level. Down 17 to Tulsa with 11 to go, UCF came back as little freshman AJ Rompza hit the game winner with .1 to go. Check out the video and, yes, I know this has nothing to do with the Magic. Regardless, if you are living in Orlando and not checking these guys out, you a missing some good basketball.

Thanks to the Orlando Sentinel for the photo.

Events Center update and other randomness

• First, tonight is Meet the Magic for season ticket holders at Disney's Animal Kingdom from 7 to 9 PM.
• J.A. Adande had some thoughts about the Magic during his ESPN chat:

Josh (Cleveland): First, I'll give credit where credit is due - nice win for Orlando last night. That said, I realized last night that the Magic's formula is better suited to win March Madness than the NBA Championship: they roll with four 3-point shooters and a center. I just don't see that winning a 7 game series against the Cavs or Celtics, do you?
J.A. Adande: (3:14 PM ET ) Until they prove otherwise, I think the Magic's set up to win games, not series

• If you don't read it, you need to. Check out The Fan Voice over at orlandomagiczone.com. Live or Die Magic's latest, "Have You Thanked Billy Donovan Today?", reminds us of that whole situation.
• Our friends over at the Orlando Magic Message Board are talking about the value of Fran Vazquez. Apparently he has value.
• Thanks to Ball Don't Lie over at Yahoo for the shout out on the Polish Hammer video.
• Take a look at PTI on ESPN this afternoon. Michael Wilbon was at the game last night. I'm sure he and Tony have an opinion.
• If you don't already know who Jermaine Taylor is, you will eventually.
• Finally, here is the weekly update on the new Orlando Events Center that is on it's way up. Also, you can click over to orlandoeventscenter.com for more information.

Click to enlarge

Monday's Puns

Its a little leftover from the weekend but that does not excuse its horrendous intent.

Via FoxSports.com Video Section:
Heat break Magic's Spell

Does this seriously happen with any other team...

Do we ever see Magic extinguish sizzling Heat or Detroit mugs Indiana?

Also, as ESPN's Marc Stein wrote:


"There is a small downside to starting out 33-8, sweeping the Spurs and Lakers, winning 17 of your first 22 road games and going 18-4 against the West. All that magic is a lot to live up to in the next 41 games."


Link: http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/powerranking

Send your praise over to Marc Stein for that gem. Also, credit ESPN.com for the photo.